Typical heat insulation placed in the walls, floors and ceilings of a home or other building structure includes a fiberglass blanket, which is rectangular in cross section. The blanket is cut to the desired length at the job site for placement between studs and joists of the building structure. In addition, a sheet of facing material usually is applied to one broad surface of the fiberglass blanket, with the facing material having overhanging edges extending beyond the sides of the blanket which form xe2x80x9ctabsxe2x80x9d that can be applied by the installer to studs, joists, etc. of the building structure to hold the blanket in place.
Fiberglass is one of the most desirable materials for forming blanket insulation because it traps a substantial amount of air between the fibers to form dead air spaces. This provides insulation against convection and conductive heat transfer. However, the fiberglass alone does not provide adequate heat insulation against radiant heat transfer. Therefore, an additional sheet of reflective material can be formed, such as aluminum foil, and applied over the fiberglass blanket. The foil sheet functions as a radiant heat transfer barrier.
One of the problems with the above noted structure is that when reflective surfaces of the foil engage another surface, such as the fiberglass of the blanket, the foil loses its ability to reflect heat. A space, such as an air space, must be maintained adjacent the foil so that the foil can function as an effective heat reflector.
Another problem with the use of reflective foil in combination with other insulation materials is that if the foil should become dirty from an accumulation of dust, trash, fibers, etc., the foil sheet looses its ability to reflect radiant heat.
It is this problem that the invention addresses.
Briefly described, the present invention comprises an improved heat insulation assembly for placement in and for becoming a part of a building structure, for insulating the structure from conduction, convection and radiant heat transfer through the walls and other structures of a building. In the disclosed embodiment a heat insulation object such as a blanket of heat insulation material is combined with the studs or other elongated parallel support members of a building structure. The blanket is elongated and rectangular in cross section, is formed of convection and conduction heat insulation material such as fiber glass, and is sized and shaped to fit in the space between adjacent studs or joists of a typical building structure. Typically, the blanket would be of a width and depth suitable for insertion between adjacent 2xc3x974 inch studs on 16-inch centers.
A reflective sheet, such as aluminum foil, is positioned in overlying relationship with respect to a broad surface of the blanket, of a length and breadth sufficient to overlie the length and breadth of the broad surface of the blanket that faces the heat controlled space of the building. Spacers are positioned adjacent the reflective sheet material to form dead air spaces adjacent the reflective sheet material. The spacers avoid having the other materials of the wall structure from engaging the reflective sheet material and avoid the blocking of the ability of the sheet to reflect heat.
In a typical embodiment of the invention, the insulation blanket, formed of fiberglass, is positioned between the adjacent studs of a wall structure after the exterior rough surface of the wall has been formed with plywood or other conventional materials. The fiberglass blanket typically will have a vapor barrier formed by a vapor impervious sheet applied to one of its broad surfaces. The vapor barrier sheet extends beyond the side edges of the blanket to form connector tabs or strips, with the connector tabs being sized and shaped to extend over the adjacent studs, etc. so as to be connected by nails, staples, or other connectors to the adjacent studs of the wall structure. The reflective sheet material is applied between the insulation blanket and the interior wallboard of the wall structure.
In one embodiment of the invention the reflective sheet is applied between the blanket and interior wallboard of a wall structure by attaching side edge portions of the reflective sheet to the studs, with the body portion of the reflective sheet material overlying the body portion of the blanket. In another embodiment the reflective sheet is applied to the blanket, by attaching the edge portions of the reflective sheet to the connector tabs of the blanket. In yet another embodiment, the reflective sheet is applied to the interior wallboard, to the surface of the interior wallboard that faces the blanket.
In all of the embodiments spacers are positioned adjacent the surface of the reflective sheet insulation for forming a space adjacent the reflective surface of the sheet. Typically, the spacers will be placed between the reflective surface of the reflective sheet material and the wallboard. However, the reflective sheet can be installed with the spacers facing the blanket insulation.
The spacers can be formed of an inert material, preferably a light-weight, low heat transfer material, such as expanded polystyrene objects which is known in the industry as xe2x80x9cplastic peanutsxe2x80x9d that are commonly used as dunnage and packing material because of their light weight and ability to fill space. Other types of spacers can be utilized, such as expanded foam in the form of strips extending along a surface of the reflective sheet material, strands of rope, dollops of expanded polystyrene, sponge rubber, and other objects positioned adjacent the heat reflective material, and virtually any light weight, non-heat conductive, non-degradable materials that function to form space between the reflective surface of the sheet and the adjacent material of the wall structure.
In another embodiment of the invention, the heat reflective sheet can be formed with protrusions in the sheet that form the spacers between the flat body of the sheet and next adjacent structure of the wall. The protrusions can be placed in a facing relationship with respect to either the insulation blanket or in the opposite direction, facing the wallboard that forms the interior of the wall structure in the building structure.
An example would be the formation of the reflective sheet material in corrugations or pleats, of a series of protruding ribs, or of a series of protrusions.
All of the embodiments of the invention provide the combination of a body of heat insulation material that insulates against convection and conduction heat transfer, and a heat reflective sheet for insulation against radiant heat transfer. The reflective sheet is maintained in spaced relationship with respect to adjacent surfaces, at least on one side thereof, so as to form a clean dead air space that permits reflection of radiant heat by the reflective sheet material. Also, the reflective sheet material and the dead air space between the reflective sheet material and the blanket insulation form additional insulation against convection in the overall insulated structure.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved heat insulated wall structure for a building, to be positioned between an interior heat controlled space of the building structure and the outside environment adjacent the building structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a heat insulated wall structure that utilizes reflective sheet material and means for spacing the reflective sheet material from an adjacent surface so as to provide a dead air space adjacent the reflective surface, thereby preserving the ability of the reflective sheet material to reflect heat.
Another object of this invention is to provide heat insulation material for application to a wall structure of a building, utilizing reflective sheet material and a spacer adjacent at least one surface of the reflective sheet material so as to maintain a dead air space adjacent the reflective sheet material for the purpose of preserving the reflective properties of the sheet material.